Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks: Match Preview and Predictions - 14th December 2019
Match details
Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks
Date & Time: Saturday, 14 December 2019, 8:30 pm. ET.
Venue: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Last game results
Cleveland Cavaliers (6-19): 117-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs (Thursday, 12 December 2019)
Milwaukee Bucks (23-3): 127-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies (Friday, 13 December 2019)
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently the second-worst team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference at 6-19. However, they did knock off the San Antonio Spurs 117-109 in San Antonio on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Spurs 50-36, including 11 offensive rebounds. They got a double-double all-star performance from power forward Kevin Love, with 30 points and 17 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson also scored an impressive 25 points.
Key Player – Kevin Love
Constantly linked to trade rumors, Kevin Love can still fill out a stat sheet quite nicely when healthy. The struggling Cavaliers need his production to stay competitive every game, and Love has managed to play in 21 of Cleveland’s 25 this season.
He is averaging 16.4 points and 10.8 rebounds – a double-double per game. Thursday night, in San Antonio, he had a great performance with 30 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to victory.
Cavaliers predicted lineup
Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Cedi Osman
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks are starting to assert themselves and run away with the NBA’s Eastern Conference. After last season's 60 wins, the Bucks have raced out to a 23-3 record this season.
Friday night, against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bucks scored another double-digit victory 127-114. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez recorded double-doubles of 37 points, 11 rebounds and 10 points, 10 rebounds respectively.
The Bucks shot 50.6 percent from the field and Khris Middleton contributed 26 points in the win.
Key Player – Giannis Atetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play in Wednesday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he recorded another double-double Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
For the season, he is averaging 30.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. The MVP award appears to be a two-man contest between Giannis and James Harden right now.
Bucks predicted lineup
Eric Bledsoe, Wes Matthews, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton
Cavaliers vs Bucks Match Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks are 12 -1 this season at home and are red hot with a 17-game winning streak. They are a deep team with 11 players getting 15 or more minutes per game, so it's not likely they will be tired Saturday at the end of a back-to-back.
In particular, the Bucks are a very potent offensive team, averaging 120.8 points a game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers need to protect the ball in this contest. They average 15.7 turnovers per game and don’t play at a fast enough pace to get those possessions back.
Kevin Love is making 36.1 percent of his threes this season and needs to stay consistent as the Cavaliers are shooting just 33.4 percent from that range as a team.
The battle for offensive rebounds could be a deciding factor as Love and Tristan Thompson combine for five offensive rebounds a game; that could help the Cavs hang close on the scoreboard.
It is unlikely that the Cavaliers will break the hot streak the Bucks are currently enjoying, so expect a solid win for the men from Milwaukee.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Bucks?
You can stream the game live online with NBA League Pass. The game can be watched on TV on Fox Sports-Wisconsin and Fox Sports-Ohio.